Monoplane flying toy.



ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE U. TYRRELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MONOPLANE FLYING TOY.

- Specification of-Letters Patent.

. Patented July 11, 1916.

Application filed iui 20, 1914. Serial No. 851,840.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, CLAYDE U. TYRRELL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Chicago. in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Monoplane Flying Toys, of which the following is a full. clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to improvements in monoplane flying toys, which on being manuallyynojecte d upwardly in the air, gradually glide to the ground, and'in which so far the wings or planes and the tail or rudder are rigidly secured in their outspread flying position to their connecting support,

' with result that the height and distance to I rangement of parts by which said objects which the monoplane can be projected is accordingly limited, as is also variations in the direction of its glide.

The prime object of this invention is a monoplane flying toy, the wings of which arefoldable and in such a manner that the device as a whole may be projected to acomparatively great height or distance with the employment ofa minimum amount of propelling force consistent therewith before the folded wings are spread to their operative position forproducing the'downward glidingof the monoplane.

.A further object of this invention is to have the wings of the toy monoplane foldable so compactly that it may bev pro ected to a great height, provided with means for automaticallyspreading-the wings as soon as the projecting force has ceased.

Another object of my invent on 15 the monoplane fiyingtoy provided wlth an adjustable tail or rudder which may be ad-' justed not only to vary the predetermined angle of its, descent, but to cause the monoplane to descend spirally and 1n smaller or greater spirals either to the right or to the. left. as may be desired.

lVith these ends in view my invention finds embodiment in certain features of noveltv in the construction, combination and arand certain other objects are attained, all as hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing. and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In sail drawing: Figure 1 illustrates in top plan view a .monoplane flying toy in which my invention finds embodiment, Fig.

2 is a perspectiveliew showing the wings of the monoplane partly folded,'-Fig...3 is a detailed perspectivemore clearly showing the' for-automatically opening the wings to their outspread flying position.

Similar characters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawing. N

The backbone of my monoplane flying toy consists of a bar 7, the forward end 8 of which is somewhat thickened and more or less pointed, and provided with aninclined surface 9 for the purpose hereinafter described, to the rear end of which bar is secured a sleeve 10 providing a socket end piece 11 receiving a short bar 12', to which is secured the tail or rudder 13 and for which purpose the bar 12 may be split to receive the rudder, then rigidly secured thereto by means of tacks or screws 14:, the rudder being preferably of thin, stiff pasteboard and somewhat pear-shaped inform, but may be of any other form or material adapted. for the purpose. 1

, At the forward end of the backbone are flat bars 15 and 16, the adjacent ends of which overlap each' other and have their bearings against the inclined surface? of the beak, a screw or bolt 17 passing through the overlapping ends/of the two bars into the beak of the machine whereby the bars are pivoted. The ends of the bars15 and 16' being at each side of-the beak bent upwardly to an inclined position and having their outer ends extended bymeans of other and straight bars 18 and 19 secured by a rivet or screw bolts 20, thereby form the front edge of the monoplane and the supports for the wings 21, 22, which "in their outstretched posi"ion, shown in Fig. 1, extend from each side of the backboneto the bars 18 and 19.

The wings 21 and 2'2; are made of somewhat stiif paper and may be in two pieces, but in practice are in one'piece folded at the center width as indicated at 23, Fig. "2, with the fold projected through a slot 24, shown in Fig. :2 and indicated by dotted line in Fig. 1. between which double fold and the front edges of the wings so formed are a number of' folds '25. 25 onv lines radiating from a center, so thatvvhenthe bars 18 and -19' are swung to a position parallel with the backbone the wings may be folded against the backbone; that is to say, to the position shown in Fig.

The outer edge of the wings are prefer-- ably formed on the arc of a circle, but may be of other form, and. the inner or forward edges cut away on an arc of a circle as indicated at :20 in Figs. 1 and 3, in order that it may not furnish an obstruction to the devices for automatically opening the wings to their outspread' condition as hereinafter described.

Atthe forward end of the'backbone is a longitudinal groove 27 receiving a form and guideway for the-clip plate 28, provided with an upright. lug 29 on which is secured a spring coil 29 provided with projecting arms 30 and 31. the ends of which are se-' cured to the pins or screw bolts 20.

'T he clip plate s28 is provided at each side of its upright 9.?) with flanges 82 and 33 bent 'in opposite; directions and resting upon the top of the backbone, which forms a track therefor, the clip being prevented from a vertical movement by flange 34 embracing the underside of the backbone.

In the position shown in Fi l the wings are normally distended through the force ex erted by the spring arms a nd in therroperative position form an imparting and. ghding movement to a monoplauc in mid air.

As a means for projecting the monoplane into mid air the underside of the backbone is provided (see Fig. 4) with a catch adapted to be engaged by a looped strlng securedto a resilient single or folded strip of rubber 37, the opposite end of which, not shown, may be fastened to a stick or handle, not shown, so that, for example, on holding the monoplane .with its wings folded in one hand, by grasping between the fingers the underside folds, and in the other hand the stick, and then following the Std't teh oi the rubber and suddenly letting the monoplane loose. itwill be projected upwardly in the desired direction. the elevation depending upon the strength of the stripot' rubber. and therefore'the force with which the inonoplane is impelled. In other words, the wings will be closed by air pressure during its ascent and until the impelling force has been substantially expended and the air pressure is sullicient to make the wings folded, whereupon the wings will be quickly spread to their full extent by the action of the airpressure laterally in opposite directions area inst the folded wings, and for which purgliding, downward movement is imparted to 8 rudder adjusted to a plane horizontal or substantially in a horizontal plane as may be from an elevation with good effect.

Immediately the wings are expanded. a

the monoplane'through the uplifting force of thev air beneath, the direction of which movement may be predetermined by adjusting or turning the tail or rudder in the socket 11 accordingly. For example, if the with that of the wings, the inonoplane will desvi'cnd along the lines of a straight, inclined plane, continuing in the same direction; whereas if the rudderbe turned at an angle to the plane of the outstretched wings it will gradually soar to the'caith. either to the right or to the left as the rudder may be set, at an oblique angle to the surface of the wings. On the other hand, if the rudder be turned until its surface is at a right angle to that of the wings, the monoplane will dart in almost a vertical line to the earth. Again, as the oblique angle of adjustment of the rudder is shifted, so will the length of the 1 spirals descent be increased or diminished.

My invention is not limited to the specific. means shown and described for projecting the monoplane into mid air,'nor specific devices bv which its foldable wings are st-iflienedat their i'orward edges, nor the specific devices by which they are automatically spread quickly following the expenditure of the force projecting the device into mid air, nor to the specific materials of which it is 1 composed. V Instead of employing the rubber sling shot before "described for projecting the monoplane, it is obvious that it migl'it be projected by means of a crossbow or similar device.

I-laving described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A monoplane flying toy comprising in ctm'ibination a backbone,'foldablc wings pivoted thereto, a coiled spring, arms pivoted respectively to said wings, and'means slidably connecting said spring and arms with the backbone, whereby said wings yieldingly I untold from the opposite sides of a fixed line therethrmigh extending ltmgitudinally of the backbone.

2. A monoplane flying toy comprising in combination a backbone, foldable wings piv otcd at one end thereof, a spring, t-lieiind of ml which are respectively pivoted to said wings, a clip for and slidably Connecting .aiild spring with the backbone.

3. A monoplane flying toy comprising in combination a backbone, foldable wings pivoted to and toward one end thereof, a spring slidably connected with the backbone having its opposite ends pivoted respectively to said wings, and a rudder adjustable on the opposite end of said backbone, and whereby the direction of the glide of the monoplane is predetermined and fixed throughout its 4. A 'monoplane flying toy comprising in combination a backbone, foldable. Wings pi'voted thereto, a spring slidably connected with the backbone at one end thereof, an adjustable rudder at the opposite end thereof, a catch projecting from the underside of the backbone about the middle of the length thereof, adapted -for releasably holding an elastic sling for projecting the monoplane in mid-air when held by a grip well toward the rear end thereof.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto-set my hand and aflixed my seal, this llth day of July, A. D. 1914.

CLAUDE U. TYRRELL. [n s.]

Witnessesi JNo. G. Enmo'rr, I. A. Coon. 

